
                                File_Handle (tm)

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                             Copyright 1993-1997 by
                                  Hasoft (tm)
                                      and
                                Arjen van Andel
                              All rights reserved

                       Meeuwensedijk 10, 4268 GV, MEEUWEN
                                Holland, Europe

        ----------------------------------------------------------------

        This document describes:

        - Short Installation Procedure

        - Short Program Instructions

        - What's New

        ----------------------------------------------------------------

        Short Installation Procedure
        ----------------------------

        If you want to install this program, but it didn't come with so-
        me  sort  of  menu driven installer, you can use the INSTALL.BAT
        program, or copy the files directly to  the  directory  of  your
        choice.

        You  may  have to extract the programs first with a de-archiver.
        Do this in a temporary directory or on a floppy.

        Then enter:

          sourcedrive:INSTALL sourcedrive: destdrive: fhdirname

          Example:

          A:INSTALL A: C: FH   (There is *NO* '\' between 'C:' and 'FH'!)

        The directory 'FH' is created automatically if it does not exist.


        Short Program Instructions
        --------------------------

        Basic Control
        -------------
        - Top-Menu (Alt)
          --------
          Hold down Alt, and enter a highlight from the Top-menu.

        - Bottom-Menu  (Alt+Space, Mouse: 4 ... 8)
          -----------
          The Bottom-menu works with function keys F1-F10, together with
          any combination of Shift/Ctrl/Alt.

          For easier control of this interface, press Alt+Space to  open
          a  menu  containing  all combinations.  Use Up- and Down-arrow
          keys to pick a menu,  and press the appropriate  function  key
          for the column.

        - Pop-up menus work with Alt+Letter and  also Up- and Down-arrow
          or the highlighted character followed by Enter.

        - Use F3 to accept (most) commands, not Enter. Tab opens window.

        Mouse
        -----
        If you have a mouse, use it, it will make your life so much  ea-
        sier while exploring File_Handle.  All options can be controlled
        without the keyboard (except entering names, dates and times).

        Hint: The file VENDINFO.DIZ has much more specific information.

        Hint: See REVIEW.TXT for a small guided tour of the program.


        What's New
        ----------

        This part describes chronologically important changes made to the
        program. To quickly see what's new in this version, look up the
        next higher version number than the one you are using now, and
        read everything following it.

        From time to time, extraoneous detail is removed from this file
        to prevent it from becoming too huge to be read.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        April 1, 1995 - First Release 0.99. NON-<ASP>

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        May   1, 1995 - Release 1.00. <ASP> Approved.

        - I now have <ASP> status
        - Included the VTOC into the check for identifing CD-ROM's.
        - Added Multiple wildcard capability to the Finder and the Filter.
        - Better behavior on exit in the case of removed startup media.
        - Filenames containing the percent sign '%' resolved.
        - Errors/attention-requesting processes now have a distinct own beep.
        - Improved behavior of errors.
        - Added an Error-Log which saves the last five errors. (Alt+F1)
        - Sound can now be switched off in four stages.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        May   6, 1995 - Release 1.01.

        - File_Handle now follows DOS's screen resolution.
        - This release has an option to adjust the width of the tree.
        - The silent-exit problem is dealt with (QEMM's #13 exception).

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        May  12, 1995 - Release v1.02.

        - The archive extractor now asks for a destination.
        - A bug in the F3-blocking system overwrote the F3-Popup.
        - Improved speed of some of the selection functions by +400%.
        - This release features Tree-compression on top of the 'Twidth'.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June  1, 1995 - v1.03. First Release for <ASP> CD-ROM.

        - The Finder now handles paths from tree other than current dir.
        - The Finder used inproper call to free its work space.
        - The Finder now shows which directory is being scanned.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June  2, 1995 - v1.03.

        - Checks free space on destination.
        - 'BETA TEST SITE' was accidentally deleted from REGISTER.DOC.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June  3, 1995 - v1.03.

        - The diskspace check now works for the Finder and highlight-mode.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June  7, 1995 - v1.03.

        - The help-viewer now has bookmark for every document.
        - Changing attributes on CD-ROM changed screen.
        - Aborting from a critical error produced sometimes garbage screen.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June 15, 1995 - v1.04.

        - Now has search capabilities for the help-viewer.
        - New detection scheme for removable media.
        - All removable drives are left out of the Finder's System list.
        - The thumb in the viewer now represents the byte position in help.
        - Right click in thumb area will 'Go To' that location in the help.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June 18, 1995 - v1.04ceta.

        - The wipe pop up (RmDir) in the tree now has a progress indicator.
        - The progress indicator now runs towards the destination.
        - Copy/Move asks to strip Read-Only attribute.
        - Copy/Move sets Archive attribute.
        - Revised the way greek-masks were build for the bottom menu.
        - Slow DOS operations show a ...Working... message.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June 23, 1995 - v1.04deta.

        - Revised support removable media DOS versions prior to 3.31.
        - The resetmode for the mouse can be controlled via the commandline.
        - Added DirsUp (Ctrl+F6) to File-Window. It places 1st file at home.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June 28, 1995 - v1.04eeta.

        - Tree-reconstruction sometimes didn't work if tree not loaded.
        - The the tree-repair mechanism is now reinstated.
        - The topmenu helpline now shows copy or move activity.
        - Renaming a file will now set Archive attribute.
        - DirsUp (Ctrl+F6) is now called FilesF (Files First).

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 3, 1995 - v1.04geta.

        - Finder now uses default driveletter of the right window too.
        - Associative Response File (.ARF) now replaces various .BAT files.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 6, 1995 - v1.04heta.

        - Reworked the memory allocation/reallocation scheme.
        - Search speed Read-Only/System attribs has now been quadrupled.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 6, 1995 - v1.04ieta.

        - Improved up/downward compatibility of logfiles.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 9, 1995 - v1.04jeta.

        - Edit-label command gives a "cannot modify" message in advance.
        - The FH_EXEC.ARF file will be reread when it's edited from within
          FH; new commands can be used right away.
        - Added remapping of drives to FH (Networks).

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 11, 1995 - v1.04keta.

        - Tree-reconstructor sometimes positioned cursorbar wrongly.
        - F6/F7 in Finder moves the cursor to System/Drive field.
        - Home and End now work in Finder's entry screen.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 14, 1995 - v1.04leta.

        - The ARF now prevents loading of device drivers and TSR programs.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        July 18, 1995 - v1.10.

        - Rebuilded various documentation for VENDINFO.DIZ.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 1, 1995 - v1.10a-feta

        - Some bits were left ON in the greek mask for the bottom menu.
        - Modified buffer length for the program paths for Windows '95/NT.
          CAUTION: This problem has our attention, but for now beware of
                   operations on program paths longer than the DOS limit;
                   about 67 characters including the drive letter.
                   This is a 'standard' problem for all DOS programs,
                   they just don't know about the new environments.

                   File_Handle has already some support built in, but since
                   there are many different network systems around, and
                   many DOS-compatible OS's, Hasoft cannot take any respon-
                   sibility for loss of data on non-standard DOS systems.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 13, 1995 - v1.11

        - Detection ramdisk DOS versions prior to 4.00 sometimes incorrect.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 17, 1995 - v1.11a-c

        - Accessing registration screen during reminder disabled bottom menu.
        - The Finder sometimes called realloc instead of alloc.
        - Spaces in ARF file after a continuation ('+') are removed.
        - Rename function improperly updated window in particular
          circumstances.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 22, 1995 - v1.11d

        - The RmDir function now has a "Don't check directories" option.
        - Now has SetARF (Shift+Alt+F2) for editing the FH_EXEC.ARF file.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 25, 1995 - v1.11e

        - Now have E-mail address for support and requests. Reworked all
          documentation, sign-on, VENDINFO.DIZ/DOZ, registration form, etc.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        August 30, 1995 - v1.11f

        - Today (F5) in Finder setup screen now places cursor on date field.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        September 1, 1995 - v1.11g

        - An info pop up separates collision check from copy/move operation.
        - The Free Space Check in the Finder didn't show the destination.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        September 5, 1995 - v1.11h

        - Test-FH.PIF was accidentally copied to distribution packages.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        September 9, 1995 - v1.11i

        - Shareware explanation screen was accidentally skipped in code.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        September 15, 1995 - v1.11j-l

        - Finder sometimes used path of a previous quickfind operation.
        - Added an email-address field to the registration screen.
        - File_Handle now has a SWREG ID on CompuServe. (#7618)
        - Removed the need for Novell to supply the [.] and [..] to FH.
        - Help (F1) locked the computer when called from reminder screen.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        October 10, 1995 - v1.11m (Internet versions have k by mistake)

        - New 10 digit phone and fax numbers.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        October 11, 1995 - v2.00

        - Since many different 1.11 versions exist (1.11a-1.11m), version
          2.00 is now distributed for clarity, among other reasons. I
          usually do not increase version numbers too fast. This may have
          misled the (potential) user into thinking that newer versions
          are only bugfix releases (they are too, of course) instead of
          being a new version with added functionality.

        - The free upgrade offer for point releases has been extended to
          include this major version too. Registered users may (and can)
          apply their old key file (FH_NAME.CNF) to this version free of
          charge.

        - All .DOC files are now renamed to .TXT so Windows users can
          read them without having to load Word.

        - Reversed use of the ARF is now possible. The Rebuild and Show
          groups from the ARF file can now be forced upon any file. You
          can, for instance, run a HEX editor on EXE files, instead of
          executing them. This will make the ARF system functional for those
          of you who apply no strict rules for file names, and - in
          particular - file extentions. (Or for those that are forced to work
          with such files)

        - The 'Run' button in the bottom menu (Shift+Ctrl+F9) has been re-
          defined and renamed 'RunARF' to launch the reversed-ARF feature.
          This means there is no 'Run' button anymore, you must now use
          'Enter' or a left double mouse click instead, to start a file off.

        - SetArf is now moved from Shift+ALT+F2 to Shift+CTRL+F2, so both
          RunArf and SetARF are in the same level of the menu.

        - On some Monochome systems the Totals mode of the Tree-Window
          overwrites the border on empty directories. This did not show up
          on color systems, so I missed it. (Weird too!)

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        November 5, 1995 - v2.01

        - Better detection of the various video systems. Some old videocards
          (their BIOS) got confused by the way File_Handle tried to control
          them. This is hard to detect, because one CGA card, for instance,
          works, while another won't.

        - An oversight during the conversion to 43/50 lines made the video
          buffer too large. This seemingly has no effect on modern video
          systems, but two users reported problems with their older (CGA/MDA)
          video cards. My tests included these systems, but apparently there
          are differences among them, since I never noticed any problems.

        - When an application switched to 25 lines while FH followed DOS' 50
          or 43 lines, the mouse cursor was swithed off when the application
          returned.

        - Accept (F3) now duplicates Enter in the pop up menus.

        - Screen border was switched on too soon in Output. Became noticeble
          now the mouse needs resetting after restoring screen resolution.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        December 18, 1995 - v2.02

        - File_Handle's price is now reduced. Also there is a LITE (Low-Cost)
          version available for hobbyists, which lacks the Network support,
          has smaller window buffers (less files), 10 free ARF entries, and
          has no printed manual (the online help should suffice here).

        - Added a heartbeat to the "...Working..." pop up.

        - Detection for starting from CD-ROM. FH has to write to the disk,
          and it cannot on a CD, which caused FH to exit ungracefully.

        - Under some circumstances there was a beep after SetARF. Was caused
          by an accidentally erased 'break' in the code.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        Januari 5th, 1996 - v2.02a

        - Minor changes made to the documents.

        - Some files are renamed to conform to old standards:

          FH_MANUAL.TXT is now MANUAL.TXT
          FH_ORDER.TXT  is now ORDER .TXT

          Extra ordering en pricing info is added to a number of the TXT's.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        Januari 17th, 1996 - v2.02b

        - Modified order screen to make it clearer that it must be completed
          on-screen, not after printing or redirection to a file. Also added
          Del and Ctrl+Del to the list of keys that open the pop up menus.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        Januari 22th, 1996 - v2.12

        - Some configurations of Windows 95 don't seem to support the long
          file name Get-Working-Directory call of DOS 7. Prior versions of
          File_Handle will then behave very irratically since there are no
          working directory strings. Since most Win 95 configurations seem
          to support this call correctly, this nasty bug never showed up in
          the beta circuit. (Actually, it manifested itself once on one
          beta tester' Pentium, but he was in the middle of installing Win95,
          and when he repartitioned his drive, the problem disappeared!)

          Later I found out that, althoug I asked, beta testers really didn't
          know that they used the DOS 7 mode in Win 95, the part FH crashes
          on! I could not filter out the information I received that the
          DOSBOX worked, but DOS 7 MODE did not! There seems to be a difference
          between these modes for the long filename support. (?)

        - Yet more changes to the order screen. Some purchasers didn't 'see'
          that some fields are in fact the result of a menu, and couldn't
          figure out how to enter data in those fields. Now all menu-filled
          fields no longer have their default contents, but a text describing
          how to open the menu (though most keys will open these menus).

        - The document FH_NEWS.TXT is now renamed READ_ME.1ST to conform to
          old standards. People have a (too) hard time locating the files
          they expect to find (prefixing files with "FH_" seemed such a good
          idea at the time).

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        Februari 22th, 1996 - v2.10a

        - When the initial destination for Pathcopy was a tree, the active
          node was placed over the directory contents after switching to
          file mode.

        - In some circumstances the chosen node from Pathcopy was compared
          to the tree of the source window (both windows same drive intially),
          and then also inserted in the tree of the source.

        - When creating a directory that after sorting became the TOPMOST
          directory in the ROOT, FH would not change to it.

        - For some reason many first time users of File_Handle choose EGA/VGA
          color scheme 2, and then complain about this colors. It seems that
          the 2nd scheme doesn't give clear and brilliant results on all types
          video equipment. The menu now indicates Blue/Yellow instead of 1/2.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        March 6th, 1996 - v2.10b

        - This version has preliminary work done for the Dutch version.

        - Added a "Type EXIT to return to program" line in Dosshell.

        - Renamed READ_ME.1ST to READ_ME1.TXT for Windows 95 usage.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        March 26th, 1996 - v2.10c

        - Minor alterations made to the various textfiles.

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        June 3th, 1996 - v2.11

        - Under DOS 7 and Windows 95 some directories sometimes appeared
          twice in the tree.

        - Added plain 'Cheque' to the methods of payment (extra costs).

        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        December 13th, 1996 - v2.12

        - Ended <ASP> membership. Documentation modified for this fact.

        - Extra registration information added to the docs. 

        - Relaxed the nagging scheme a bit.
